


The Fading Echo

by Stormstar017



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Cody is an old fart, Echo needs a hug, Echo probably has depression, Gen, Kix is a little jacked up, Kix is innocent and smol, So is Bly, Super Edgy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 01:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9410717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stormstar017/pseuds/Stormstar017
Summary: Echo awakens to find himself alone, in the hands of the enemy, and with a metal arm. With no memory or recollection, all he remembers is his squad and commander's. Hoping to reunite with his brothers, he sets out to find those he left behind. All he finds is a very different world and the very evil they were fighting in control.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey and welcome to a super edgy and angsty story. \\(^w^)/  
> So before you read, there may be some facts and details that may seem off or incorrect from the TV series. Do not fear, these mistakes will be cleared up and make sense in further chapters.  
> Any way, enjoy!
> 
> Here's some songs that might create the mood for you.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTUq3Ik1GHM  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-cvKiFf0n0  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX44CAz-JhU  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvgZkm1xWPE  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SK_17K-5sM  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlKhWkKpMEU  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX1G71WK-FA

The sound of heavy breathing filled Echo's helmet, making it difficult to hear orders. General Skywalker was ahead of him, lightsaber out. He shouted some orders and Echo nodded obediently, even though he didn't understand a single word he said. A hand clapsed his shoulder, startling him, and he turned around,  
"You ok?" Fives muffled voice cut through the chaos. Echo nodded again and faced back forward, gripping his blaster tightly.  
This was a dream  
A reoccurring dream that haunted him.  
He knew it by heart.  
As if they had a mind of their own, Echo's legs began to move him forward. He wanted to scream and tell himself to stop moving. All that came out was a choke of desperation. The other clones around him followed suit; he had memorized their patterns. The one on his left, Echo no longer knew his name, would take ten steps before getting shot down, a bullet wound directly to the chest, killing him instantly. The clone on his right would peel off and run behind some debris for cover. Then it was Echo's turn. Without any control over his own body, he began to run alongside a parked airship. Snatching up a fallen Geonosian shield, he shot at the enemy while creeping up the ramp into the ship. Rex's and Anakin's cry fell upon deaf ears as Echo continued his assault. Echo's eyes flickered over to his captain and general, tears of frustration and grief pricked his eyes. All other clones faces had faded from his memory, yet Rex, Fives, and Anakin's voices and faces burned in his mind like fire. There was a whirring and Echo snapped his attention to the turret that had swiveled turned to him. As if in slow motion, he watched the round leave the barrel and blow up the ship he was on. Before he could scream or even move, the ground gave way from beneath him and the world flashed white.

Echo's head hit the metal table as he jolted awake. There was a rapid beeping from a heart monitor on his left that gradually slowed as his heart beat went back to normal. He looked around wildly, confused beyond belief.  
There was no endless falling in the darkness.  
No hard realization as he relived the dream again.  
Just a rocky, empty room filled with medical equipment.  
The cold metal table he lay upon bit harshly into his bare skin, giving him the realization he wore no shirt. He sat up slowly and stiffly, glancing down at all the wires tapped into him. With a grimace, he pulled them all off along with the oxygen mask wrapped onto his face, taking in a deep, shuddering breath of real fresh air. He took in a quick analysis of the room and found there was no one else. It was a simple room; rock like walls, one bright light directly above him, the beeping and whirring of all the machines around him, no windows. He was alone, again.  
"What....?" he croaked, his own voice sounding foreign to him. He swung his legs over the edge of the table and sat quietly for a few seconds, taking the fact he was free from his nightmare. Or that he was now stuck in another one. He sighed and lifted his left arm, pressing it against his head, wanting to clear it from the questions swirling inside his mind.  
His hand felt cold.  
Cold and biting.  
Like the metal table he sat upon.  
He froze and drew it from his temple slowly, a slow, creeping horror taking a hold of him as he examined his arm. From his shoulder down was nothing but metal and wires. There was an elastic material where his elbow, shoulder, and wrist should of been that stretched as he moved. Horrified and fascinated, he moved each finger individually, listening to the rhythmic clicks of the gears and inner workings. He swiveled his arms about, bending it, twisting it, working it like an normal arm. It seemed to work just fine, as if his arm was just encased in a metal coat rather than completely blown off. Echo continued to stare at the silver thing that had become of his left arm.  
It wasn't real.  
It couldn't be real.  
But it was.  
He felt sick and started to dry heave, his body arching from the violent fits. He reached up to cover his mouth with his good hand, it suddenly stopped short, causing his wrist to throb from the jolt. Echo closed his eyes, taking in several deep breaths, calming his shaken nerves. Not really in the mood for some other horrifying surprise, he glanced down timidly. His good wrist was shackled and chained to the side of the table, keeping him from moving too far away. The idea of his condition dawned on him; if he was in the hands of the enemy..... Quickly he looked around the room again.  
Door, directly in front of the table.  
No weapons.  
Not even a syringe.  
No windows.  
No light....  
Got to get out....  
Got to get out....  
"N-no..... don't think.... don't think..." he began to repeat to himself, rocking back and forth on his heels gently. He was a trained solider. He had to be tough.... but this was too much for him. A small, quiet sob escaped him and he quickly clamped his metal arm over his mouth, biting the cold steel.  
"Don't think.... Don't break.... They're fine.... You're fine...." he whispered, his voice eventually dying away. The truth settled over him like an unwanted rainstorm.  
He wasn't fine.  
Something was wrong.  
His mind felt like it was scattered in pieces before him but he couldn't put it back together.  
Why wasn't there anybody here?  
How long had he been asleep?  
How long had he been in this void room?  
He was tired of being alone.  
Tired of living in a dream.  
He squeezed his eyes shut and held himself, trying to give some comfort to his broken soul. For an eternity, he sat in silence, head bowed, praying to be free. He missed everyone, missed the fresh air, missed the missions he went on with his brothers, the Jedi.  
Jedi...? Wait, what were Jedi....? He groaned and held his head again, the headache so strong his vision blurred. By the time it had passed, he no longer knew the word Jedi or had any connection to it. He wondered where they were, if they were all right or even still alive. He sat up slightly and glanced at the shiny table, hoping to catch a glimpse of his reflection to tell him how much time had passed. His face was so distorted from the table he couldn't tell. He curled back up in defeat, sitting in a dark silence that blanketed the room in a stifling manner.  
Soft footsteps...  
Echo straightened up and slid back to the edge of the table, getting as far away from the door as possible. A small part of him told him to be afraid of who came through the door. The other part of him told him to bash their heads in. There was a jingling of keys and the door jiggled back and forth as the person on the other side tried to find the right key. Echo sprang into action; if this was the enemy, best to act as if he were still asleep. He quickly placed the oxygen mask back over his face and laid back down into a rigid, coma like position. The door opened and a couple of Geonosians slithered into the room, chattering and clicking to each other in their language. They spotted Echo and one of them snorted in distaste, probably tired of seeing Echo asleep with no improvement. The second one hissed at its partner and stalked over to Echo, lifting his metal arm. Echo watched with cracked eye lids, studying each one carefully. The one studying his arm was the larger of the two and seemed unworried. The smaller one was checking the medical equipment, its black eyes darting to him every once in awhile. It suddenly looked at the ground and bent down, picking up the wires that were supposed to be hooked up to Echo. It let out a series of startled clicks and squeals, getting the other ones attention. Echo mentally cursed, knowing he had been found out. He swung his metal arm into the larger Geonosians face, knocking it out instantly. The small one squealed and took flight, pulling out a gun he had hanging at his side.  
"S@#$!" Echo hissed and yanked the table onto its side, ducking behind it just as a couple rounds hit the table. He glanced down at the shackle and chain; a simple shot at the base of the shackle should get it off. A couple more rounds pelted the table, causing Echo to duck again. 'Stupid son of a Bantha!" he thought bitterly. The room grew quiet, each side waiting for the other to make their move. The Geonosian eventually grew impatient and hovered slowly over to the table, peeking over it cautiously. Echo sprang up with a cry of determination, flipping the table onto the Geonosian with himself on top. The winged alien screeched and hissed, scratching Echo with its free hand as he tried to free the other that held the gun. Wrestling the gun out of its flailing hands, he put a couple rounds in its head, quieting the ruckus. He sat back with a large sigh, breathing heavily from the dispute. He examined the three long scratches on his arm and scoffed,  
"Weak." he muttered and shot off the shackle. He massaged his wrist and glanced around again, seeing if he could find anything but to no avail. Taking his chances, the plundered the bodies of the two Geonosian's. A couple guns, a knife, a glass vial that held a brain worm (shot that thing about fifty times), a spear, and some crappy looking bombs. Taking off their sashes, he put one across each shoulder so he could carry the spear and extra gun across his back. Holding the other one, he faced the door, uncertainty flooding his senses. He shook his head and closed his eyes, gripping the gun,  
"For my brother's." he said and disappeared into the darkness of the world outside the tiny room.


	2. Chapter 2

Navigating the tunnels of the Geonosian realm was not walk in the park. The very air was stiff with a musty, decaying scent, making it difficult to breath without getting nauseous. There seemed to be never ending tunnels, large stock piles of carcasses, twisting paths.... it all seemed like a maze of nightmares. However, none of this scared Echo as he continued. The only thing that frightened him out of his wits was the fact that there was nothing.  
No Geonosian's.  
No sound.  
Nobody but himself.  
Echo shivered, breaking into a cold sweat as he continued. He was becoming desperate; there had to be a way out of here. There was just more darkness and more tunnels and more fear and nothing. For an eternity, he wandered, with no sense of direction and loss of hope. He rounded a corner and stopped, looking around helplessly. Several tunnels yawned at him, offering five different paths for him to take. Weary and disheartened, he sat down on a rock, shrugging off all his equipment he carried.  
"Could use a droid or something right now..." he muttered. He grimaced and held his head as it throbbed painfully again. Every time he thought of his past life, the more headaches he had, steadily worse and worse. He was also finding that more and more faces and names were slipping away, only Anakin, Rex, and Fives remained but even they were growing fuzzy. He sighed and looked at the dirt roof, waiting for the spasm to pass. After a few tense moments, the headache passed, leaving Echo to think again. A small draft gently brushed his cheek and he perked up. The air from the third tunnel wasn't as foul as the rest, giving him the hope that maybe there was a way out. Quickly, he grabbed all his weapons again and headed down into the tunnel. The minute he stepped inside it, he felt like he was being watched by a hundred eyes. Slowly, he held up the gun in attack style, waiting for anything to pop out and grab him. There was nothing for a long tense moment of nothing but silence and the quiet humming of his weapon. He let out a shaky sigh and shook his head,  
"Calm down, Echo. Your letting your imagination get ahead of you." he scolded himself. He glanced left and right again annd continued forward, looking straight ahead. However, he couldn't shake the feeling and eventually found himself searching madly for what had its eyes on him. After turning up every stone and finding nothing, he glanced up to see where his search had taken him.  
Light.  
Beautiful, pure light.  
He wanted to scream and yell triumphantly and he started to run towards the large, wide open escape. There was a shriek and a Geonosian jumped right down in front of his path, chattering aggressively. The walls came alive and soon, the whole cave was filled with Geonosians, walling in Echo. He took a couple steps back only to find more of them behind him, roughly trapping him in a sea of bodies. Angrily they began to close in, hissing and spitting and Echo couldn't calculate who was going to jump first. Then, above the noise, there were a series of stern clicks and grunts. The Geonosians froze and pulled back slightly, still not giving Echo a chance to escape though. Echo glanced over the roiling mass of bodies and spotted their leader. Unlike the Geonosian leader from his dreams, this one was younger but still old like the one he saw. It hobbled forward and made its way into the crowd until he reached Echo. It glared up at him,  
"CT-21-0408, glad to see you're awake, finally." he said in a rather displeased voice. Echo straightened up a bit, not lowering his gun,  
"How do you know my ID number." he said in a low dangerous voice. The Geonosian leader let out a rasping, mocking laugh,  
"Your obliviousness is rather entertaining, CT-21-0408..." he cackled, "But drop the act, you remember why you are here." he said, suddenly growing dark. Echo's eyes shifted around, then back to the leader, showing that he was clearly lost. The Geonosian leader's smile grew wider,  
"You remember nothing... do you...?" he sneered, enjoying his advantage. Echo growled and pointed the barrel of the gun directly at his face,  
"Shut it, bug." he spat, "I still remember my enemies..." he cocked the gun. Several Geonosians hissed and snarled, pointing their weapons at him in return. The leader held up his hand, telling his people to relax. He turned to Echo again, the smug grin still plastered on his face,  
"CT-21-0408, why don't we talk for a bit.... as, well... two soldiers to another... Clear some things up." he held out a gnarled, vein crossed hand. Echo remained expressionless, glaring down at the bug like alien with tangible distaste. The leader sighed and put his hand down, turning and walking away,  
"Fine. Have it your way...." he rasped as he disappeared into the shadows. Instantly, Echo was pounced on by at least ten Geonosian's, forcing him to the ground. He grunted in frustration as the gun and every other weapon on him was taken away, "You bantha!!!" he hissed, twisting around underneath the bug like aliens. From the shadows, the Geonosian leader cackled,  
"Talk to you soon, CT-21-0408......" he sneered. Echo felt a needle peirce his neck and a dull throbbing pain.  
Then all went black.

Echo slowly opened his eyes, then sat upright in sudden alertness. Or, at least tried to, as he was suddenly pulled back down by the restraints strapped around his chest, legs, and arms. He growled and thrashed around, trying to get out again. Eventually, he gave up and flopped back down, exhausted and disheartened. He was strapped to a vertical table in another empty, dull lit, muddy room.  
"Have you finished your tantrum, CT-21-0408...?" the same mocking voice called from the shadows. A large, blinding light came on, causing Echo to screw his eyes shut. He tentatively opened them, panting in anger and surprise. The Geonosian leader sat a few feet away from him, watching with his hollow, empty, black eyes. Echo narrowed his eyes, remaining silent as he realized this was just another interrogation. He glanced around quickly, seeing if there was anything else in the room.  
Door.  
Two guards  
Geonosian leader. A screen next to the leader.  
A metal table with a syringe.  
Two more screens.  
No, seven screens around the leader.  
Why were there so many?  
"Since you were so violent back there, restraining you only seemed safe." the leader said huskily. Echo continued to stare past him, sitting rigidly. The Geonosian continued,  
"So... you don't remember anything...? Except your enemy and who you are, correct?" he pressed. Echo began to quiver with rage so much, the table began to rattle but he still remained silent. The Geonosian leaned forward,  
"Shall I help you remember...?" he rasped, pulling out a remote from his robes. He pressed on a button and all the screens came on. Echo's eyes flickered over to the screens but still he said nothing. On all seven screens showed him; laying on the table, still asleep, from several different angles. He was covered in a white cloth and so were his eyes, all that was visible of him was the oxygen mask covering his face.  
"This was seven years ago...." the leader rasped. Echo shifted and continued to stare at the screens, slightly unsure if where the 'conversation' was going. The Geonosian pressed another button and sped up the footage until he got to a certain point. On the screen, two Geonosian's came in, along with the older leader that came before the one sitting in front of Echo. At this point, the seven years ago Echo was awake. There was no audio but Echo could see they were talking to him, telling him something he didn't remember. Suddenly, the Echo on the screen swung blindly and he could see an incomplete metal arm, wires and pieces of metal sticking out here and there. It reached out and grabbed one of the Geonosian's by the neck, causing the creature to struggle and silently scream. The other one tried to help it's comrade but it was too late. Echo watched in horror as the Echo on the screen squeezed the life out of the alien, blood spewing out of its mouth as he literally severed and crushed all the veins in its neck with his mere strength. The white cloth soon became red and Echo wanted to look away from the gore, yet he continued to watch. It took several more Geonosian's to restrain him, the body of the first one disappearing from veiw as he finally let go. A Geonosian stabbed him with a syringe and he shuddered once then lay still once more. There was a soft click as the leader paused the video,  
"Now.... do you remember who you are....?" he hissed, eyeing Echo curiously. Echo continued to look at the screens, his eyes fixated on the thing under the bloody sheets with the metal arm. The Geonosian stood up and hobbled over to the table,  
"What was left of CT-21-0408 from the Clone Wars is gone. Who are you, you ask....?" it circled him as if he were some exotic animal, waiting for him to make a move. Still, Echo did nothing, not even look at the leader. With a snarl, the Geonosian lashed out, grabbing his face and turning it violently so he was looking in its cold, dead eyes,  
"You know what you are?! You're a monster! A puppet and a monster!" he spat viciously. Echo's brown eyes showed no emotion and this only pissed the alien off even more. He squeezed his face harder, his long, dirty nails beginning to puncture Echo's face,  
"You'll see, CT-21-0408! Once you are perfected the Empire will never know what hit them!" he shoved Echo's head into the table and walked away, signaling the others to follow him out. He paused at the door,  
"And finally.... we will have our revenge......" he said softly. He glanced down at the remote and hit the play button,  
"Enjoy the movie. Just something in case you get bored..

They came in single file, all watching him with the cold dead eyes of a Geonosian. Their leader wasen't there which slightly gave Echo some reassurance there would be no more interrigations. He was wrong and he relized it the moment they started to rewind the video, never once taking their eyes off of him. One walked up to him and forced his head back while the other approached on his left with something he couldn't see. The others remained by the screens until they got to a desired place; seven years ago, covered in a white cloth. Echo felt cold fear start to rise up within him and he tried to force it down but to no avail. One of the Geonosians by the screens began to speak in very rough english,  
"CT-21-0408, what is your purpose...?" it commanded. Echo's eyes flickered nervously over to it, then glanced at the others,  
"I.... I'm not sure...." he said softly. The one that held his head back slammed it into the table, causing his vison to blur and his ears to ring. The Geonosian by the screen rewinded the video until they were back to where they started,  
"CT-21-0408, what is your purpose...?" it repeated. The Geonosian on his left inched closer and Echo glancd over, trying to see what it was holding. The thing in its hands twisted and coiled in its container and Echo instantly knew what it was.  
Brain worm.  
Bad news.  
"I am a trained solider of.... of...." he dwindled off, knowing nothing more. Again, his head was slammed onto the table and the Geonosian on his left lifted the brain worm so it was dangling over his face.  
"CT -21-0408, you are a weapon of the Geonosian colony. The end of the Empire. Repeat what I have said; you are a weapon. You are nothing more. You feel nothing. You care for no one. Your purpose is to kill and mangle those loyal to the Republic and the Empire" the english speaking Geonosian said, ending with a hiss for emphasis. Echo's eyes darted between all the Geonosian's gathered around him, panic and fear starting to take a hold of him,  
"I.... I am Echo.... A trained solider of.... the...." again he lost his voice and he prepared for the Geonosian to slam his head into the table. It did it so hard, darkness overtook his vision for a moment. He felt something sticky and wet begin to slid down the back of his head, its sweet smell filling the air around him. The Geonosian on the left dropped the brain worm on his face, the thing slithering around, causing him to shudder. The Geonosian seemed to command its movement and told it to wait, poised like a snake by his ear. There was long and terrifying pause.  
"CT-21-0408, what is our purpose...?" the Geonosian asked, its voice dangerously low. Echo swallowed nervously but kept his face straight,  
"I am Echo.... A trained solider.... of an unknown army...." he said, keeping his voice level. There was a long and unsettling pause as all the Geonosian's stared at him with soulless eyes. Then the one that was speaking nodded his head curtly.  
Then there was endless pain. 

Hours turned to days.  
Days turned to weeks.  
Echo lost track of the time. He didn't even know if time existed at all anymore. The same routine happened everyday; tell him who he 'was' and turn to brainwash and torture if he didn't answer correctly. Most of the time he didn't answer correctly which resulted in several forms of physical harm. They had to get creative since he would adapt to their methods so quickly and most of the time they were experimental and some of them didn't work, earning them a scornful fit of laughter from Echo. Then, one day they got their awnser; CT-21-0408 recited his purpose excellently. The weapon was almost ready for action. The Geonosian leader burst into the room, his droopy, dead face full of excitement and expression,  
"CT-21-0408, what is your purpose...?" it asked breathlessly, as if it had run all the way to the room. Echo was staring blankly forward, his face set and his eyes burning with a psycho look,  
"To kill and mangle those loyal to the Republic and the Empire." he said in a monotone, voice. The Geonosian's in the room began to chatter with excitement. The leader kept his composure but struggled to keep the joy out of his tone,  
"Well done, CT-21-0408. We will find you a target as soon as we can..." it dipped it's head and walked out with a bounce in its step, its people following him. Once the door closed several cries and shrieks of victory filled the air. Echo sat stock still for a second, then slowly, his eyes shifted to the door, the psycho light gone from his eyes.  
He couldn't belive it.  
These things were so hell bent on revenge that they actually thought they had turned him into some mindless killing machine. A smirk crept onto his face and he stifled a snicker of triumph. While they celebrated, it was time for another escape.  
This time though, he'd get out.

Echo twisted his wrists around in the leather bands that held his arms down, trying to get at least one arm free. He struggled until his good arm was sore and irritated from the fibers and forced him to stop. The screens flickered once in a while but Echo didn't watch; he didn't want to see what other horrendous things had happened over the years he was semi conscious. He put his head against the table and closed his eyes, trying to form a plan of some sort.  
Get out, ok established that.  
Find everyone.... or anyone who wasn't an enemy.  
Get some weapons again.  
Armor.  
Wait, armor?  
He shook his head, an image flashing into his head; blue and white clone armor complete with a helmet. It was dirty and had several scorch marks but still seemed to be in pretty good condition. A common blaster rested next to it, just as dirty but just as good as the armor. He snapped his head up, his eyes flashing open as the memory faded.  
Or was it a memory.  
He growled in frustration and slammed his fists on the table. He couldn't tell anymore what was a memory or a dream or just some imaginary hope he came up with. It was all rather frustrating and he found himself wishing he could bash that stupid Geonosian leader's head in. Heck, he didn't even know his name but he somehow knew Echo and it just added up to the things that were ticking him off about this place. He glanced down at his metal arm, flexing it absentmindedly. The image of the dying Geonosian came up and he looked away quickly, almost smelling the sickly sweet sent of its blood mixing with the cold steel. Suddenly, he froze and started to twist it around in its bond.  
He felt nothing.  
No pain or irritation at all.  
With rising hope, he began top work at it, slowly and gently at first but then gradually becoming more violent. After what seemed like hours of twisting and pulling there was a tiny ripping sound. Hardly audible but defiantly there. Echo stopped and glanced down at his handy work to see if he had made any progress. On the outside, at the base of the strap, there was a small tear, giving his arm a little more room to move and do more damage. A small smile danced upon his lips and he squeezed his metal hand into a fist.  
He was almost out.  
He could almost feel the cool breeze of fresh air upon his face.  
With a quick, sharp jerk, the strap came off completely, leaving Echo to stare at his free arm, the piece of leather draped loosely around his wrist. Inwardly, he celebrated; one free arm meant one foot out of the door. Reaching over, he tore off all the other restraints and jumped to the floor, landing quietly as to not alert anyone. 'That was easy...' he thought, flashing cocky smirk.  
Step one down.  
Now to get out of this place.  
He silently crept over to the door and banged on it, then hid in the least visible way of the person that would come through. To his luck, a Geonosian guard came in, letting out a couple confused clicks. Before it could let out a cry of alarm, Echo smashed its head into the wall, leaving it to crumple o the ground unconscious. Repeating the process of what he did with the last two guards, he pillaged the body of its weapons and snuck into he darkness without hesitation. This time, he had some sense of direction; follow the tunnels that had a fresher smell to them. As he passed another tunnel, he suddenly stopped and back tracked to one. Turns out it wasn't a cave but instead a short hall with a small, almost invisible door. Curious, he walked over and tried the door. It opened without a sound and without resistance. Now a bit suspicious, he cautiously made his way into the room behind the door. It was yet again another empty dirt room and Echo turned to leave, annoyed that he had wasted his time. Then, something caught his eye, tucked away in the farthest corner of the cave like room. Something white was sticking out of the ground, covered by a mound of dirt. Gently, he brushed off the dirt and lifted the object out of its hole, shaking off any excess filth. It was a white and blue helmet, the one he had seen in his vision back in his 'prison called a room'. He blinked and looked it over, turning it around and around in his hands as if he didn't know what to do with it. He glanced back down at the dirt mound and continued excavating, wondering what other buried treasure was left in there. Everything was there from his vision; the blaster, the rest of the armor, and even a black undershirt and pants. Glancing down at his bare chest, he quickly slipped the shirt over his head, the fabric feeling cool and smooth against his skin. He stood up to leave but stopped, glancing back down at the armor. It seemed to call to him, as if it were a part of him from the past he had forgotten about. Eventually giving in, he put on the rest of the armor until it finally came down to the helmet. Once again he found himself staring at it, some ancient fear holding him back from putting it on. Shrugging it off, he put it on.  
Gunshots.  
A clone on his left taking ten steps then falling to the floor dead.  
Running.  
Fire.  
Death.  
Falling for an eternity.  
Repeat  
With a gasp he ripped the helmet off and threw it across the room, falling over and scooting as far away as he could from it. He sat shivering and panting in the corner, sweat dripping down his face. The empty mask stared at him from across the room as if antagonizing him to put it on again. Echo took in a shaky breath and closed his eyes, trying to stop his hands from shaking. For a while, he sat trying calm his shaken nerves, again. It was a while before he reached for the helmet again. Part of him told him to leave it here in the darkness. This time, he just held it in the crook of his arm, not daring to put it on again. With another deep breath he stepped outside into the cool cave, returning to his originally purpose and desire to get out of this hell hole. He reached the same tunnel where he was caught last time and he looked up at the walls of the tunnel first.  
There.  
Thousands of them.  
Covering the wall in a living mass of flesh and filth.  
He recoiled in disgust and leaned against the wall, gripping his blaster tightly. The door was right there, in all of its glorious light. The only problem was the fact that the only thing that stood between him and his freedom was an army of Geonosian's. His mind worked frantically to piece together some sort of plan, some sort of daring escape that ended with him walking out of the place while it burned in the back round. A small smile made its way onto his lips; quiet the escape if he could pull it off. However, he didn't have anything else on him save for the blaster he held tightly. What would General Anikin do...? He regretted that thought as suddenly it felt like someone had just driven a spike through his head. He groaned and clutched his head, dropping the helmet. It clattered noisily on the ground, alerting some Geonosian's from their perch on the wall. Fighting against his pounding headache, Echo scooped up his helmet and pressed against the wall even more, trying to hide from the alien natives. They clicked and grunted at each other, approaching the spot where Echo was hiding. 'Go away. Go away. Go away.' he prayed silently. As if someone above heard his prayers, there was a deep resonating horn blow, waking up all the Geonosian's from their nap on the wall. The hall came alive and they all buzzed over head, flying past Echo and down the tunnels, to where they had been called. Echo stood stock still for a second, waiting for their chattering and the horn to die away, certain that they were gone completely. There was a stifling silence, nothing but the dry, arid wind from outside making the only noise. Echo gasped, letting out his breath that he had held that whole time.  
This was it.  
Now or never.  
He could get out right now and never come back.  
He rolled off the wall and made a dash for the door, not caring at how much noise he made, he just wanted to get out. He was greeted by blinding light, dry wind, and coarse sand striking his armor.  
How he loved it.  
He blinked rapidly, adjusting his eyes to the sudden light change and took in his surroundings. Large rocks and pillars towered all around him, a tan color that seemed to dominate the entire landscape. In the distance were tall, spire like rocks, sand, large scattered rocks, sand, and even more sand. He grinned like a mad man; sure the terrain wasn't much to look at but what the heck, he was out of that underground death cage. He jumped in the air and screamed out across the desert in a burst of pure triumph, relief, and adrenaline. He felt like he could run across that desert and never get tired. He felt completely unstoppable. As he came back down to the ground, his smile slowly vanished as a thought came across his mind. He turned and faced the yawning darkness that lead back to the Geonosian realm. What had called them? Why had they just left their post and opened up the way for him to get out? His curiosity won over his desire to be free and he found himself walking back into the tunnels. He left a trail of sand behind him so he could find his way our again; the sand outside was much lighter than the packed dirt in the tunnels. He followed the chattering and screeches of the Geonosian's, carefully and quietly like a trained assassin. Like Cade Bane.  
Wait.  
Who was-  
Another headache. Echo stopped and sat down, gripping his head as his mind spazzed like a womprat caught in a trap. That name; it sounded so familiar, yet distant. Just like everyone else that came to mind form his past. He grit his teeth as his head pounded even harder and he rocked himself on his heels. Stars above! What was wrong with him?! Eventually, after several long minutes, it passed, leaving him breathing heavily and barley able to see. The fuzziness went away after a couple of seconds too but now he was more careful about what he thought of.  
Nothing from the past.  
Good idea.  
He stood up slowly and continued down the tunnels, a little slower than last time as due to his aching head. The clicking and screeches were getting louder; he was nearing the area where they were all gathered. He rounded a corner and found another hallway that lead outside. Quickly he took note of this one and crept outside, as that was where all the sound was coming from. He soon found himself in a large arena, surrounded by screeching Geonosians, flying and scurrying about. He was on one of the upper levels, looking down upon the sight in disgusted fascination at all the lumpy, disfigured bodies roiling below him like a nuclear waste dump. He kept close to the shadow of the exit, not wanting to be spotted by anything below or across from him. Suddenly, as if over a loud speaker, a series of clicks and screeches filled the entire arena. The Geonosian's all cheered and turned their gazes to the ledge adjacent from Echo's. The platform across from him was way more elaborate and larger, and standing on it in all its hideous glory, was the Geonosian leader that had held him captive. Echo gripped his blaster and raised it; he had a clean shot.  
If he could just....  
He lowered his weapon, never once taking his eyes off of his captor. Killing him in cold blood wasn't good enough. Sure, everyone would see it, but what if he missed? He hadn't shot a blaster in who knows how long. How the heck would he make this shot from at least fifty yards away.  
He had to get closer.  
Thankfully, the leader had gotten his people's attention, so no one was paying attention to the white and blue figure creeping along the edges of the arena. Echo kept his eyes on his target, watching it carefully and expertly. It seemed to be in a good mood, talking really fast with excitement in its dialogue. Probably telling it's people how he had successfully corrupted a Republican dog, aka Echo. Every once in a while, it would earn itself a bountiful cheer and screech from the crowd below, fueling it's pride in whatever it was talking about. Echo tsked in distaste; what a bantha, there was nothing to celebrate about. 'It'll soon be chewing on it's words in hell' he thought. By now, he had almost made his way around the arena and he could clearly see his target. He got down on his stomach and propped his gun on the ledge, locking the scope onto the leader's head.  
One shot.  
He was so close.  
And yet....  
He wanted to be close to it.  
He wanted to see the fear in it's eyes.  
He wanted to feel it's life slip away as he pulled the trigger.  
He had to get even closer to it, but it was surrounded by guards. An idea formed in his head and he smiled. He shifted the site to one of the two guards standing beside it. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.  
The shot was louder than he thought.  
It struck the unlucky Geonosian in the head and sent it's body careening over the edge without even so much as a cry of pain. Down below, the crowd broke into chaos, screeches of alarm filling the air. The second guard looked around wildly, sheltering it's leader. Before it could react, it joined it's partner on the floor as a shot ripped through it's skull. The leader fell back, it's dead black eye's glistening with fear and shock, unable to move from the sudden turn of events. Suddenly, the arena shook as several of their own bombs fell upon the panicking Geonosian's below, sending up a cloud of dust. The leader stared open mouthed at the chaos, his people screaming in agony as they suffocated or got crushed by falling debris. A few lucky ones flew up and away, disappearing into the desert to get away from the carnage. Suddenly, a rough hand grabbed the leader's shoulder and threw him into the hallway behind him. It screeched as it hit the floor roughly and lay in a shivering mass. A shadow blocked out the light from outside and it looked up shakily at who it was. Echo brushed off his blaster, staring coldly down at the leader in pure hatred.  
"C.... CT.... CT-21-0408.... What is going on...? What is the meaning of this?" it was barely able to rasp. Echo said nothing and raised his weapon slowly and shot the Geonosian in the upper thigh. It screamed and clutched its leg with one hand began dragging itself away with the other, realizing the danger it was in. Echo followed it with long, slow strides, the light from outside illuminating him eerily. For spite, he shot the other leg, crippling the leader from making any quick get away. It wailed again, fear and agony filling it's voice with a high frequency as it's black blood left a large, smudging streak on the ground as it dragged itself. Echo reached out and stepped on it's dead right leg, preventing it from moving forward anymore. It squirmed and sobbed, knowing that death was near,  
"Why...!?" it cried in a mix of it's native tongue and English, "You were to kill the Emperor! Not us!!!" it sobbed pitifully, still trying to drag itself away. Echo grabbed it's shoulder and flipped it on its back so it was looking at him. It held up it's hands,  
"Please!!!! Don't kill me!!!" it screeched. Echo leaned in close, studying it's tear streaked face with no expression. He chuckled quietly, enjoying his power in the situation,  
"What can you tell me that might keep you alive a little bit longer?" he said in a dangerously low voice. He pressed the gun into it's chest, causing it to squirm and squeal,  
"Help! Someone help me!" it thrashed around wildly. Echo put his finger on the trigger, barley pulling it, but just enough to shut the Geonosian up.  
"No one can save you, now. That cloud of dust will make it impossible for them to track us down. Now, what can you tell me about everything that's happened since I was asleep. Answer me honestly and I might keep you alive." he said darkly. The leader gripped the ground,  
"You've been a-asleep for ten years.... The Clone Wars have e-ended and Emperor Palpatine is in full control of the Republic..... The Republic is now the E-Empire..... The Empire destroyed the Trade Federation, Count Dooku, our old leader, everyone....The Jedi are no more, they've been wiped out by your own brothers.... You... The clones.... They killed them all.... The-" it stopped short as Echo lifted the gun from it's chest and shoved it into it's neck, cutting off its speech,  
"You sure seem to know a lot. My brothers would never turn on their generals. Their friends! How can you prove any of this is true...!?" he growled. The Geonosian struggled and gurgled in pure panic,  
"Please....! You...! You must believe me...! You....! You were to be the end of the Empire...! You were the perfect weapon....! It can't end like this...!!!" it struggled to speak, it's limbs flailing. Echo narrowed his eyes,  
"You kept me locked up in here. You tried to turn me into some psycho! There is absolutely no way I can trust what you say!" he snarled. In a flash, the blaster was pointed at it's head, the barrel right between it's eyes. It screamed and reached out to block it's face, "Wait!" it shirked. Echo pulled the trigger and the Geonosian fell backwards, a smoking hole in it's head. And yet, Echo wasn't satisfied. He shot it again, and again, and again, and again, not stopping, not blinking; just watching the corpse twitch and flail as it's body was maimed by the countless rounds of bullets. Suddenly, he stopped, trying to pull the trigger but without success, his hand trembling. He was breathing heavily, his whole body shaking and convulsing. He blinked and slowly looked at the bloody, smoky thing in front of him, completely unrecognizable,  
"Oh my-" he covered his mouth with his hand, sinking to the floor wearily. He felt sick, he felt disgusting; did he just do that? All that bloodshed outside, did he do it too? Maybe the Geonosain's had succeeded in something, maybe they had turned him into a monster. He felt the tears start up again and he slammed his fist into the ground, tossing the blaster and helmet far away from him. He shivered and curled up against the wall, crying, not caring if he was caught again.  
He was a monster.  
A mindless puppet in this sick game.  
A weapon for revenge.  
He took several deep breaths and glanced down at his metal arm. It shone dully in the dusky cave like some unpolished, precious jewel. He clenched his fist and looked across at the blaster, sighing deeply. He got up and picked it up along with the helmet.  
He needed answers.  
He needed to keep going.  
He took a deep breath and walked back out of the cave and into the arena. The carnage was massive; bodies and limbs strewn across the ground, the once light colored sand now dark and black with the blood of the Geonosian's. Any Geonosian that might of survived had left, leaving Echo a clear, empty path to walk out. He made his way around the edge of the arena and found his sand trail again, making his way back into the tunnels. Eventually, he found his way back outside to the place where he began. He looked around and studied the architecture around him. He remembered Cody saying something about Luminara getting captured here....  
Cody....?  
Luminara...?  
Suddenly he could see; a strict face, scar's crisscrossing one side of his face as if he had been burned. He wore orange and white stripped armor, similar to Rex but not the same. Another person stood next to him; a woman with pale green skin and a face that seemed to hold enough wisdom from a thousand years of existence. She wore a black head dress and a tight, long sleeve dress, her and eyes lips shaded with dark makeup. Echo blinked, snapping out of his daze.  
He remembered...  
He remembered and-!  
Oww.  
There was the headache that came with his memories, finally. He shook his head and grit his teeth, trying to shake off the pain. 'Come on, hold on to this one!' he thought desperately past the pounding in his head. But no matter how hard he tried, he could only watch as their faces blurred and disappeared into nothingness, their names going along with them. He grunted in frustration and clutched his head, straightening up. Another loss, another step backward from finding his way back home. He tipped his head back and took a deep breath, trying to keep his cool over the mounting frustration and anger penting up inside of him.  
Ok, calm down.  
New plan.  
He needed a new plan.  
Something to keep him occupied.  
Right....  
How about getting off this planet....  
Done.  
He began to walk around the edge the the Geonosian base; maybe he could find something that could fly. Something that could get him into the atmosphere and into space. Something that maybe could help him remember and get him back home.  
Home.  
Did he even have a home?  
Echo closed his eyes and cleared his mind of his thoughts, trying to focus on the main mission of getting away. He came around a corner and stopped, staring at the land mass in front of him. Unlike the other large mounds and mountains scattered across the landscape, this one was smaller, looking debilitated and more depleted than the normal mounds. Intrigued, he made his way over to it, skeptically looking around for any Geonosian, incase this was some sort of trap. Nothing happened and next thing he knew, he was at the base of the small mound. He glanced around its high, dusty walls, looking for some sort of entrance. Eventually, he found a door; old, rusty, and barley even on it's hinges. Echo glanced around one more time and went to the door. It was stuck on some debris and he had to kick it open. It hit the floor and clattered noisily, echoing around the cave. Echo winced and stood stock still, waiting for something to jump out and grab him. Once again, nothing. He exhaled and stepped over the door, pulling out his blaster cautiously.  
"Sure could use a light right now...." he muttered, walking deeper into the mound. Suddenly, his foot hit something metal and he glanced down sharply, pointing his blaster at it. In the dull sunlight from the door, he barley could make out a droid, broken and dead with a hole in it's head, most evidently the work of a classic blaster like the one he held. He blinked in confusion and looked up ahead, squinting to see through the fuzzy darkness. There was even more of them strewn across the floor like leaves; neglected and forgotten. Now he was suspicious; who would just leave a bunch of droids in an underground facility? He crept forward cautiously, his eyes darting left and right. They were everywhere, from hanging from the ceiling to just laying stretched out across the floor. There were also large machines holding droid parts, frozen in time as if they were still working but couldn't move anymore. Echo kept moving forward, looking around at his enemies, laying dead all around him,  
"Guess I missed all the fun..." he sighed, stepping over another droid. He lost as his balance as suddenly the ground fell away and he nearly went tumbling over the edge. He fell back and hit his head on a droid. He groaned between his teeth and held his smarting head, as if it didn't hurt enough already. He shook it off and went over to the edge, peering down. From his standing point, he could see everything. Large furnaces, more machines, more droid parts, and a seemingly endless array of them. He whistled in awe,  
"These guys sure were busy." he said and began to make his way down to the lower levels, hoping he could find something useful. There was nothing down there either save for more metal and machines. He sighed in frustration and began to make his way back up to where he came in. Suddenly a faint glimmer of light caught his eye from deep within the factory. It flickered faintly i the darkness and Echo wondered if it was some droid starting up again or something. Intrigued he made his way towards the light, quietly and cautiously as to not disturb any sleeping horrors kept in the factory. After walking for about ten minutes (it was a large factory) he came upon the source of the light. It was a hole in a door riddled with rust and other decomposing factors. Echo glanced around once, grabbed the handle and yanked the door open. It groaned in protest but opened nonetheless. Cool, dry air greeted him and he found himself outside on a landing pad and to his luck, a ship sat there. It looked like it was still flyable, as if someone had forgotten it was there and had left it. Echo blinked and whipped his blaster into defensive position.  
This had to be a trap.  
It couldn't be this easy. But then again most of the Geonosian's were either buried in rubble or flying across the desert at a hundred miles per hour. Still uneasy, he made his way over to the ship and looked it up and down. It was a single seat transport with a solar sail as it's main form of energy. At the driving controls sat a droid, hunched over and powered down in a form of sleep mode. Finding the door to the ship, he opened it carefully, trying not to wake the droid but failed. Once he opened the door it jerked and sat up, it's lifeless eye's flickering and coming to life. It swiveled it's head around and locked onto Echo's surprised face.  
"Facial recognition in process...." it said in a monotone, robotic voice. A screen appeared next to it and a disgustingly familiar face appeared on it. Echo recognized Count Dooku's face on the screen and he curled his fists.  
So this was the coward's way of escaping; a secret pod. The droid beeped rapidly, bringing Echo back out of his thoughts,  
"Facial recognition complete. Facial match up failed. Intruder alert. Proceed into defensive operations." it beeped. Slowly it reached down under the divers seat and pulled out a blaster. Echo was faster and stuck the droid across the head with the butt of his gun, leaving a good sized dent. It flopped back against the seat, dropping it's weapon as it's eyes flickered once then went out completely. Echo let out a sigh of relief and 'gently' pushed the droid out of the seat and into the back. He tapped the control panel and the ship hummed to life, startling him. His eyes scanned the digital info in front of him, seeking some sort of clue to as how he could escape the planet.  
"Last coordinates...." he muttered as he typed it in. A screen popped up to his left and he quickly looked the list up and down, seeing if he recognized any of the names listed.  
Coruscant.  
That sounded familiar....  
Echo narrowed his eyes and tapped the name. Instantly, the ship lifted off the ground, off the landing pad, and flew forward, causing him to grab the steering wheel in alarm. It tipped upward at an aggressive angle and shot upwards into the sky. Echo gripped the wheel, pressed all the way back into the seat,  
"Bad idea. Bad idea!" he said between grit teeth. The sky grew lighter and lighter then suddenly went dark, until it was black, a few twinkling lights flickering here and there. Echo pried his fingers off the controls and looked outside in awe and wonder. He had forgotten how beautiful and empty space was, with it's many galaxies and systems, it was a sight to behold. It didn't last long. The ship shuddered and the solar sail opened, giving the ship another small but aggressive boost. Echo fell off the seat at the sudden jerk,  
"Stars above! Guess Dooku didn't have the luxury edition." he grumbled in irritation. He sat back down in the pilots seat and glanced at the controls. Estimated time till arrival; one hour, read the main screen, a digital clock counting down. Echo sighed, displeased at how long the trip was. Then again, if ten years seemed like a month to him, then an hour should go by pretty fast. He settled back in the chair and closed his eyes, falling asleep. Yet one question burned in his mind like a bonfire; if it had been ten years, who was still alive?


	3. Chapter 3

"Entering Coruscant airspace. Prepare for landing in three minutes." a female monotone voice brought Echo out of his nap. He rubbed his eyes with his good hand and stretched, looking outside the windshield.  
"Coruscant... I made it!" he cried in realization. He jumped out of the seat and hit his head on the roof in excitement.  
"Ugh.... Celebrate later....." he moaned around his teeth, holding his head. He glanced out the window again and took in all of the sights and sounds like a tourist. Ten years was a long time, yet how could he forget such an interesting environment? The whole planet was made out of city for crying out loud! And yet.... Something seemed unfamiliar about it. Something was off and he didn't like it.  
"Prepare for landing." the robotic voice said again. Echo tore his gaze away from the hustle and bustle down below and to where he was landing. They seemed to be on the outskirts of the main city and headed towards a large, sandy colored building. Large exhaust towers belched fire and smoke, casting an eerie red glow on everything. The ship folded it's solar sail, causing it to slow down suddenly. Echo was thrown across the dash board, driving out all the air in him.  
"Please fasten your seat belts." the voice said sweetly as Echo tried to regain his breath. He panted heavily and grabbed the restraints that had just appeared, glaring at them sourly,  
"Would of be nice once I got in this stupid thing!" he hissed. The ship glided gracefully into an open port that had just opened up in the buildings wall. Echo's eyes flickered left and right, studying the inside of the building. It was dimly lit and incredibly tall and large, with a high roofed ceiling. There was no one in sight. Echo sighed in irritation,  
"Great. Alone again." he spat. The ship touched down and turned off it's engines,  
"Please exit the vehicle." the ship said, opening the door automatically with a whir and a hiss. Echo tore off the straps, that had just fastened themselves around his torso, in anger,  
"You strap me in THEN tell me to get off? Maybe this whole ship is the booby trap I've been waiting for." he scoffed, hopping out of the ship. His feet hit the cold synthetic floor, sending an echo through the entire building. It reverberated across the walls and eventually faded into nothing, leaving Echo to nothing but silence (much to his relief). Glancing at all the things he had to carry, he managed to uncover a small, black bag in the back of the ship. Quickly, he stuffed his helmet and the pillaged Geonosian weaponry into it and shouldered it. Once in, he found himself wandering a large, empty building all by himself. After wandering for a bit and finding nothing of importance or interest, he made his way outside, gazing at the main city. After a moment's hesitation, he started to walk towards civilization. It was a long walk and for a while it seemed like he would never make it there. Finally, he reached the outskirts of the city. There were several things wrong with what was waiting for him. Number one, the entrance was surrounded by poor and dirty people and aliens of all types, none of them looking at him with a friendly expression. Number two, the entrance was heavily guarded by tanks and clones that seemed to have different armor than his. As he approached, one of the clones, one that wore a red shoulder pad, held up a hand and approached Echo. Echo stopped walking, feeling the mounting tension and all eyes on him.  
"I've got a bad feeling about this...." he said under his breath. The clone commander looked Echo up and down, glancing at the bag across his shoulder.  
"Good citizen, remove your bag for inspection." he asked. Echo hands twitched slightly; good citizen? What did they take him for? A street performer? 'Guess I'm wearing some pretty outdated armor.' he thought coldly, taking off his bag. Several of the civilians peered around him, trying to see if there was anything of value. The commander ripped open the bag and dumped out the contents non too gently, earning himself a pissed off glare from Echo. The commander took no notice and rummaged through his belongings stopping every once in a while to curiously look something over. Echo waited with mounting irritation, his eyes flickering between the commander, the clones, and all the hobos that watched him just as well. The commander stopped and slowly picked up an object with great precaution,  
"Citizen.... Why do you have several class two Geonosian bombs in your possession...?" he asked, looking slowly up at Echo. Echo shrugged and looked at the blockade,  
"I don't know. Why do you seem to have the city on lock-down?" he shot back. Several of the hobos behind him snickered, amused by his smart remark. The commander stared at Echo through his helmet with such hate that he could almost see it. For a while he sat stock still, then he flicked his hand, waving over a couple more clones. The walked over coolly and seized Echo by the arms roughly, twisting them behind his back so he couldn't struggle much.  
"Take this defect to Lord Vader. If there are still Separatists out there, this scum will help us find them." the commander hissed. Echo twisted in their vice like grasp,  
"I'm not a Separatist! I just need to find my platoon!" he said, angrily. The commander scooped his items back into the bag, holding onto his helmet,  
"Platoon, huh?" he scoffed, turning the helmet over in his hands. He went silent, "What is your name?" he turned to him again. Echo glanced at the clones that held him,  
"CT-21-0408.... Or Echo..." he said slowly, unsure of where the conversation was going. They were clones, so they were like brothers, he could trust them.  
Right?  
He wasn't sure anymore.  
These weren't clones from the Clone Wars.  
They talked differently.  
They sounded nothing like Jango Fett.  
Jango...? Never mind. Let's just avoid another headache.  
The commander and his squad were silent once more, even the homeless civilians had stopped their quiet chatter. Echo clenched and unclenched his fists, wanting to get out of the awkward position he was being held in.  
"Let him go. He passes clearance." the commander finally spoke. The clones that held Echo released their grip and went back to their positions by the entrance. Echo rubbed his good arm, slightly bewildered by the sudden change in events; even the hobos seemed surprised. The commander held out the bag, "My apologies for holding you up, sir." he continued, his voice returning to it's militant tone. Echo took back his bag, watching the clones carefully. With their masks on it made it so difficult to read their expressions. He couldn't tell what they were thinking. He shouldered his bag and walked forward, still eyeing the other troops as he strode past them. The watched him just as well, from behind the dark visors of their helmets, not moving. He shivered and quickened his pace, quickly getting swept up into the crowd. The culture shock was enough to knock someone over; so much activity and sound surrounded Echo in an all consuming mass of chaos and life. He found himself standing in the middle of the street, gazing up at the tall buildings that stretched up towards the sky endlessly, watching every single form of transportation whizz by overhead in a never ending roar. It was incredible; to him at least. He continued down what he thought was the main street and wandered towards a small little shop. He dipped his head politely to the alien behind the counter,  
"Evening..." he said. The alien gave him a timid nod then went to staring outside, it's nervous gaze flickering over to him once in a while. Echo's friendly smile slightly wavered; why was it so afraid of him? The way it fidgeted with the hem of it's apron, it's wild eyes darting around it's small store. He picked up a stabilizer to some kind of speeder, tossing it up and down slightly, still watching the alien out of the corner of it's eye. It was distracted, a couple of other costumers had just come in, asking it some questions. Echo put the stabilizer down and continued to look around, wandering aimlessly down the aisles.  
After all, he was in no rush.  
What was the harm of getting to know city life again?  
He walked around the little store, finding a couple interesting things here and there but that was about it. He was putting back a strange piece of leather when some movement on his left caught his eye. One of the customers that had walked in behind him stood on his left, blocking the way. Echo gave him a small dip of his head and turned to the right. Another one of the guys blocked the aisle from that way too, not looking at him in a very friendly way. Echo felt a cold chill run down his spine; these guys didn't look to thrilled to see a clone here. Two more guys joined each side and they started to advance, closing the space between Echo and them. Echo's mind went into a frenzy, analyzing every option.  
Blaster.  
In the bag.  
Any sudden move could set them off.  
Uh...  
Bombs.  
Bag.  
Knife?  
Bag.  
Brass knuckles?  
You don't own a pair of those, you dingus.  
Wait....  
Echo flexed his metal hand, listening to the smooth sliding and clicking of every joint. He had brass knuckles all right, just on one hand but then again that's all he needed. The armor was restricting it's movement though; he had to take it off. Nonchalantly, he began to take off the armor around his metal arm, whistling merrily as the thugs slowly continued to close in. He got it all off and shook it, seeing if it was moveable enough. The long sleeve black shirt was still too tight; have to take that off too. Carefully, he began to rip it off t his shoulder, his eyes switching between the guys on his left and right. They were nearly on top of him now and he could see that they were armed to the teeth with every kind of sharp object, save for the main thug, he had a simple blaster on his right hip. Echo narrowed his eyes, letting the scrap of cloth fall to the ground with the rest of the armor. The thugs stopped advancing; they were so close Echo could smell their pungent odor of oil, soot, and sweat.  
Delicious.  
The thug with the blaster swung at Echo's unprotected stomach. The clone was quicker and ducked, grabbing his legs and knocking him over into the aisle. His cronies let out cries of alarm and jumped on top of Echo, knocking over even more goods on top of them. Echo grit his teeth and pushed himself off their fallen leader, smashing them into the adjacent aisle. One jumped out of the way and brandished a knife, swinging it wildly and screeching madly. Echo followed the blade with dangerous accuracy, grabbing the thugs knife arm and spinning around him so his arm was twisted behind him. Echo heard a satisfying snap and let go, letting the thug fall to the ground screaming in agony. He jumped up and roundhouse kicked another thug back down into his buddies before he could get back up. One threw his companion off and threw a punch at Echo. Echo caught his hand with his metal limb and gave his hand a rough squeeze. The thug screamed and tried to twist out of Echo's vice like grip but to no avail. Echo clenched his free hand and socked the thug in the face, feeling his nose break upon impact. he let the thug go, watching him stagger blindly away, holding his nose. Suddenly he heard rapidly approaching footsteps behind him and he sidestepped. Surprised, his attacker flew past, his knife catching Echo across the cheek; not serious but still enough to draw blood. Echo growled and kicked the thug as he flew by, sending him farther down the aisle and into some more merchandise. He turned and found himself facing two more guys that had just gotten up, also wielding knives. He stepped back slightly and held up his fists in a form of defense, holding out his metal hand as if asking them to come. This only pissed them off even more and they sprang at him, intent on making him grovel before them. Echo spun around one, and kicked him in the back, making him drop his knife, and the turned to the other, catching his knife with his metal hand. He pulled the thug in close and held him in a head lock so he couldn't see, driving him towards his companion. Echo drove the knife into the cloth of the second thug's arm, by the wrist, and pinned him against the wall. He then grabbed the other thug's fallen knife and pinned his other arm with his buddies, trapping them together against the wall. He paused and watched them struggle, smirking, then jumped back into the fray as he was attacked again.  
He dodged.  
He attacked.  
He seemed to glide across the floor with deadly accuracy.  
It was as if he was dancing.  
If he could dance, at least, he was pretty sure this was what it felt like.  
Minus the life and death part.  
Several gunshots caused him to duck and he looked over angrily. The thug leader had gotten up and was taking a couple cheap shots at him. The leader shot at him a couple more times, causing him to duck behind another, unspoiled aisle for cover. Instantly it was torn up by the blaster rounds. Echo grit his teeth and covered his head as debris and splinters flew overhead dangerously. Seeing he wasn't safe where he sat, he scurried up to his feet and ran into another aisle, the thug close behind. Whirling around with a face disturbing calmness, he jumped up and ran across the aisle sideways before jumping down upon the leader thug, landing squarely on his back and knocking him flat on his stomach. The leader wheezed as the air was pushed out of him and flopped to the ground in defeat, the blaster flying out of his hand and skidding to a halt a few feet away. Echo slowly stepped off the thug and looked around at his handy work. The thugs groaned and moaned, slowly moving around, busted and fallen store items underneath them and all around. The store was completely totaled and the alien crept out of hiding from behind the counter, it's face contorted by a mixture of anger, horror, and shock. Echo sighed and picked up his sleeve and armor, putting them in the bag and heading out. He paused by the thug leader and snatched a money pouch hanging off of his belt, walking up the alien who stared at him open mouthed. He dropped the coin bag on the counter, flashing the alien a cheeky smile,  
"Sorry for the mess." he said and strode out of the store. He stepped outside, feeling pretty good about himself, even though he just completely trashed a store and broke several bones. Then again, it was self defense; they attacked him first. His steps faltered for a moment and he narrowed his eyes.  
Why had they attacked him?  
Clones protect the people and yet they just jumped him in cold blood.  
What had happened in the ten years that he was asleep?  
"The Jedi are no more! The clones killed them...! Your brothers...!" the Geonosian leaders words rang in his head. He screwed his eyes shut and shook his head; no, that was a lie. It was just trying to save it's own skin. He straightened up and continued to stroll through the streets, trying push the thought away. Yet it kept nagging at him from the back of his mind. He took a deep breath and looked up at some of the buildings. Everywhere he looked, there was the same symbol, large and obnoxious, as if it was to be recognized and respected. He grunted and shook his head; whats up with all the propaganda? He continued to walk but soon found himself people watching. Everyone walked and talked normally, and yet, in their eyes he could see a deep sadness, a sort of defeat, as if there was no hope for the future. Not to mention the increased clone activity. For every ten people there was at least one clone; fully armed and walking around with a sort of authority that Echo didn't like. Echo started to walk faster, not knowing where he was going.  
Something was wrong with this place.  
He needed answers.  
He needed them now.  
He rounded a corner and stopped, his eyes going wide. The part of the city he had reached was less crowded, and probably for a good reason. Clones and tanks lined the perimeter of the building he had just come across, preventing any form of entry. A large sign was posted up front with them that said "Please report any Jedi immediately. Protect your city!". All this was enough to surprise someone but what Echo was looking at was the building itself.  
He had found the Jedi Temple.  
Or what was left of it.  
Black soot marks covered one half of the building, some of it's towers completely gone while others were crumbling. It was dilapidated and falling apart, it's once beautiful grandeur reduced to nothing but soot and rubble. What had happened here? Echo's troubled mind went into total panic, the headache feeling as if he was being shot in the head again and again. He stumbled back into the shadow of a building, holding his head and moaning around his teeth. He had been here before, he had seen this place. Then it all came like a flood; General Skywalker's cocky grin flashed in his mind, then Rex's stern but caring gaze, then Fives, then Hevy, and all these other people he no longer knew or recognized yet still had a connect to. He threw his head back and screamed, sinking to his knees; it was all too much. 'You wanted answers, here you go.' a small voice mocked him from the back of his turbulent memories. He gripped his head, shaking it as hot tears sprung to his eyes,  
"Make it stop...!" he whispered, his voice cracking. He heard footsteps approaching and he peered around his fingers. A clone's shadow grew on the ground, coming towards him slowly,  
"KY-64-9901, go check it out. See if it's another stoner again." another clone commanded. Echo scooted away from the approaching figure, suddenly growing frightened and unsure. He had to get away, had to find a way out of his head, out of the chaos. He sprang to his feet and dashed away from the ruined Jedi Temple, not looking back to see if he was being pursued. He ran through countless alleys, staying off the main street and away from the crowd, he ran until his legs wouldn't carry him any farther. He collapsed in a dead end alley with nothing but himself and the steam from exhaust pipes from the buildings. He leaned against a wall and brought his knees up to his chest, burying his face in his arms. It was quiet; the rush and the roar of the city seemed far away from him. His breath came in ragged sobs as he sat there all alone, his mind reeling from all that had just happened. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, pulling his head out of his arms and up against the wall.  
"Calm down. It was nothing but a memory. It's not real." he said softly, trying to convince himself. It didn't work though and soon he found himself thinking about the past again.  
Fives....  
Hevy....  
Brothers...  
He winced as his head dully throbbed at the thought of the two names. Then his vision went white as the pain intensified then faded slowly. He groaned and blinked open his eyes, then gasped.  
He wasn't on Coruscant.  
He looked to his left and right. He was in some sort of outpost, on a rocky, mountain like planet, and it was night. There were clones there with him, some of their faces blurred out and their voices dim, but they were defiantly there. He glanced down at his armor and noticed it was just white; no blue markings or blemishes from past battles. Suddenly there was a cry of triumph and he looked over, slightly startled. He felt his heart nearly stop as he recognized who it was.  
"Come on! Who's next!?" Hevy jeered, looking around at the other clones. Echo wanted to speak but couldn't, his mouth feeling dry.  
"Hevy. We're supposed to be on duty. Not just hanging out." another clone said and Echo looked over to see who it was. It was Fives, a little younger than the last time he saw him but none the less it was him. Echo felt as if his breath was being squeezed out of him.  
This was some cruel dream he was having.  
A distant memory from the past reawakened.  
Hevy rolled his eyes,  
"Oh yeah! Lets go take a look." he said, his voice thick with sarcasm. He walked over to a screen, showing the outside boarder of the outpost, "Oh look, absolutely nothing." he scoffed, turing and looking smugly at Fives. Fives sighed and shook his head, returning to whatever he was doing. Echo swallowed in an attempt to try and speak but with no avail. Suddenly a hand clasped his shoulder roughly, nearly knocking him over.  
"What about you, Echo? Want to take the champ on at an arm wrestling match?" Hevy grinned. Echo, slightly smiled and shook his head, turning back to face his computer, hoping in some desperate attempt to wake up.  
Of course he couldn't speak.  
This was a memory, not a dream.  
He had no control.  
Some alarms went off and he sprang from his chair, checking the cameras,  
"Looks like we have a couple visitors." he said, putting on his helmet. Fives came over and looked over his shoulder at the screen.  
"Oh boy. Suit up guys. We got a couple of looky loos." he sighed, tapping the screen. The clones scrambled to their feet and ran out of the control room, anxious to do something else other than sit around.  
"Aw heck yeah!" Hevy hollered, being one of the first clones out of the control room. Echo closed the camera screen and grabbed his gun, turning to walk out after his brothers. He felt a familiar and gentle hand claps his shoulder, causing him to stop. Five's worried brown eyes met Echo's,  
"Think this is just a drill or something?" he asked, searching Echo's face for an answer. Echo shrugged and grinned from under his helmet,  
"No idea. But whatever it is, lets go blow it up!" he laughed and sprinted down the hall, Fives at his heels.  
  


Echo jolted awake, sending a shiver up through him. He unwrapped his arms from round his legs and looked around in slight confusion. He wasn't on the base anymore but back in reality; back on the filthy backstreets of Coruscant. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, wishing he could of stayed in the past a little while longer. He shook his head and got to his feet slowly, shouldering his bag again. He began to walk out of the deadend alley when he looked up and suddenly saw that his exit was blocked... by a kid. Irritation began to build up in him; he had already been jumped once.  
"Look, buzz off or I'll dislocate your arm." he said between grit teeth. The kid narrowed his eyes and held out a knife,  
"I'm not afraid of you, stormtrooper!" he shot back, pointing the knife at Echo. Echo scoffed, taking his bag off and rummaging through the contents,  
"Number one, kid, I am not a stormtrooper. Two, two can play that game, punk." he spat. Suddenly he was thrown against the wall as the kid punched him in the stomach. Echo coughed and gasped, sliding down the wall, the kid now on top of him. He grabbed Echo by the neck and held the knife to his chest,  
"You stormtrooper's are weak! You have no right to rule over us!" he cried, anger and loathing burning in his eyes. Echo struggled to get air but glared at the kid with just as much distaste,  
"You know, I hate people that take the cheap shots like you, brat." he rasped. The kid pressed the knife into his breastplate,  
"You're one to talk, stormtrooper. Your skills in combat are nothing but cheap shots and low blows!" he shot back. Echo lost it and grabbed the kid by the neck with his metal arm, causing him to drop the knife in suprise. Echo stood up to his full height, still holding the kid, who was now trembling with fright and panic,  
"Ever seen a quote on quote 'stormtrooper' with this!?" Echo snarled, giving the kid's neck a squeeze. The kid gasped and scrabbled at his metal hand,  
"The rebellion....! Will never....! Submit to you....!" he wheezed. Echo narrowed his eyes, contemplating on whether he should let the punk go.  
"Erza!" someone cried from the end of the alley. Echo snapped his gaze over to the owner of the cry. An older but still young man stood there, shock, anger, and surprise etched across his handsome young features. The kid, Erza, smiled weakly in Echo's grasp,  
"Hey Kanan...." he rasped. Echo looked Ezra, then at Canon,  
"This pup yours?" he asked, letting Ezra go. Ezra slid to the ground, tenderly holding his neck and taking long, gasping breaths. Kanan glared but nodded once,  
"Yes sir." he growled menacingly. Echo raised his hands and shrugged, sighing,  
"Look, you probably had a jacked up day. I'm having a pretty jacked up day. How about we go our separate ways and forget about this whole thing?" Echo said, looking at Kanan with a tired look. Kanan glanced at Ezra then at Echo again,  
"Sure. Whatever." he said bluntly. Echo dipped his head once,  
"Gentlemen." he said and strode past Ezra and Kanan. Instantly Kanan was on Ezra,  
"Stars above Ezra! Do you HAVE to go start a fight with every single stormtrooper you come across!? Why am I always pulling your a$$ out of the fire!?" and so and so on. Echo stifled a giggle as he walked away from the angry shouts, lightening his dark and dangerous mood. Once again, he found himself thinking about what had just occured; rebellion and stormtroopers. How interesting. He went over everything that had happened since he got here.  
Hostile clones at the main entrance, or supposedly clones.  
Getting jumped in a grocery store.  
The ruined Jedi Temple.  
The strange insignia all over the city.  
His flashbacks.  
And now this kid saying something about a rebellion and calling him a stormtrooper instead of a clone.  
Echo shook his head and blinked rapidly, trying to clear his head. A lot had happened since he had first arrived. 'Maybe it was time to call it a day and hit the sack.' he thought wearily, suddenly tired. He stepped back out onto the main streets and walkways, looking for some form of hospitality in hopes of landing a place to stay and rest. He kept on passing clones, or stormtroopers or whatever they were called now, in small patrols or standing guard in the streets on large armored vehicles. He stared at them curiously and they stared back from behind their visors sinisterly, watching his every move like scavengers. They were everywhere; for every ten civilians there was at least one or two stormtroopers. Echo finally made his way to what he though was a hotel and was about to head inside,  
"Halt!" someone said. Echo looked over and through the crowd, spotting three stormtroopers heading towards him. He inwardly groaned, not feeling like dealing with anymore people or interruptions for the rest of the day. Nonetheless, he stopped, like all good clones when given an order, though not without a scowl on his face.  
"How may I be of service to you, gentlemen?" he asked polity. One of the Storm troopers waved a hand at the other two behind him and they went on either side of Echo, boxing him in. Echo clenched his fists but didn't react, not wanting to cause another disturbance.  
"Lord Vader has demanded your presence. Please do not resist." the head trooper said. He turned on his heel and began to make his way through the crowd. Echo was roughly pushed by one of the Storm troopers,  
"Come on. Move it!" he said sharply, Echo sending him a withering glare in response. Following the Storm troopers, Echos began to wonder; who was this Lord Vader and what did he want with him? 


	4. Chapter 4

Echo trudged along wearily, his eyes wandering around at the architecture of the new building. He had been walking with the clones for a while now, with no conversation or form of friendliness whatsoever.  
"Keep it moving!" one of the Stormtroopers behind him barked, shoving the handle of his blaster into Echo's shoulder. Echo stumbled a bit but regained his balance, barley holding back the urge to cave in the troopers face. The Geonosian struggling in his grasp flashed in his mind and he shook off the thought. Patience and peaceful interrogations, maybe that was the best route to take for now. The party came up to a couple large doors and the main trooper held you his hand, causing them to stop. Echo took the opportunity and stretched his cramping legs; all this walking had started to take its toll on him.  
"Wait here." he said sharply, opened one of the doors and disappearing inside. Echo narrowed his eyes and drew his good hand over his face in exhaustion, really wishing he was in a nice warm bed right now instead of with the morons behind him. After a couple of slow minutes, the Stormtrooper came out and waved for Echo to come in,  
"Lord Vader will see you now." he said. Echo glanced at the troopers behind him and walked in, none of his escort following him. They closed the doors behind him, leaving him plunged into darkness. Echo's senses instantly went onto high alert, now wondering if this was some sort of trap or ambush.  
There was nothing.  
Then a whooshing sound.  
No, a mechanical breathing sound.  
Echo felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to rise; whoever was in here with him was incredibly powerful. The very air seemed to crackle with it. It felt so familiar yet distant to him that he couldn't figure out if maybe he knew this person from the past or not. There were footsteps on his right and he blindly whirled around, trying to see through the darkness. The person or thing walked a circle around him once, then retreated a few steps, farther away but still there. "Who are you...?'" he asked, his voice cracking a little. There was no answer, save for the mechanical breathing. Echo took a deep shuddering breath, feeling as if suddenly the walls were closing in on in him,  
"Where am I ....?" his voice was barley a whisper now. He could feel it now; a strong force slowly squeezing his trachea closed. He coughed and felt his neck, trying to find the hands or thing clamped around his neck. There was nothing there except his own flesh. Echo gasped and coughed, trying to force air into his lungs. By now he couldn't breath, whatever had a hold on him wasn't letting go.  
"I should be the one asking 'who are you.'" a deep voice resonated around the dark room. Echo felt his feet lift off the floor and his eyes went wide with panic. He couldn't breath, he couldn't speak, and now he was hovering at above the ground at the mercy of whatever was in the room with him. The mechanical breathing came closer and Echo could just barley make out a tall, well built, shadowy figure. It stood in front t of him and regarded him for a moment, ignoring his strangled gasps and thrashing legs.  
"You don't seem to recognize me at all. I do believe, however, we have met before. Please enlighten me by telling me your name." it asked, no, demanded from him. Echo could feel his consciousness slipping away, his lungs burning as his head pounded with each frantic beat of his heart. His mouth moved wordlessly for a couple painfully long moment's,  
"I'm...!" a couple more desperate gasps, "CT-....! 21....! 0408.....!" he barley managed to rasp. The figure slightly cocked it's head,  
"Do you have another name....?" it's voice seemed to shake the entire interior of the room. Echo felt himself go limp in it's grasp, a red mist starting to take over his vision. Something or someone was in his head; poking and prodding, taking everything that he knew and remembered. It searched and searched, tearing through his mind like a knife to silky cloth. Suddenly, whatever had him let go and fell to the floor, laying still in a crumpled mass of blue and white armor. Quickly he took in as much air as possible, trying to make the burning sensation in his lungs go away. It only made it worse and began to cough violently, the fit racking his whole body. The person/thing watched him struggle to regain his breath with silent pleasure. Echo finally caught his breath again, his breathing rasping harshly against his throat, and he glared up at the figure,  
"What was that....?" he said hoarsely, on his hands and knees. The figure stared at him then walked a couple feet away, to the double doors,  
"You seem to remember nothing about the Force, Echo." it said darkly. Echo watched it with untrusting eyes,  
"How do you know my real name...?" he asked softly. The figure raised a hand and suddenly all the lights came on. Echo blinked at the sudden light change and looked up at his partner, finally getting a good look at him. He was incredibly tall, completely dressed in black, with a helmet covering his head and face. He had an assortment of gages and buttons on a square plate that sat on his chest. He was covered in black armor that glittered brilliantly in the light and a large cape that covered his shoulders, barley touching the ground. Around his waist was a large belt and on that belt was a..... Echo felt his breath hitch in his throat; he had seen that object before. General Skywalker flashed briefly in his mind, leading an attack with his lightsaber out.  
Lightsaber.  
Jedi.  
The Jedi Temple.  
Nope. Stopping right there.  
Let's not have headache in front of this guy.  
"It really has been a while, Echo. Ever since you got blown up, the 501st really hasn't been the same." the tall, imposing man continued, walking towards him. Echo narrowed his eyes, unconfirmed at the fact this guy knew so much about him.  
"Who are you...? Are you a Jedi....?" he asked cautiously, afraid if getting choked again. The man stopped walking, now standing right in front of him,  
"Do you remember General Skywalker, Echo?" he asked, avoiding his question. Echo instantly lit up, his suspicions put aside briefly,  
"General Skywalker?! Is he here!? I need to speak to him! I need to speak to the 501st! Please, if they're here take me to them!" he pleaded, looking around the room in desperate hopes if finding them somewhere in there. The figure watched him from behind the mask,  
"Echo.... General Skywalker is dead." he said. Echo stopped looking around, feeling as if someone just kicked him in the stomach. He turned around to face the man, slowly, "W.... What...?" he barely managed to whisper. His too companion dipped his head slightly,  
"There is much that you have missed and do not know about." he said, his imposing, hostile Aura suddenly replaced with a pained, grief filled tone. He sat down on a couch and folded his hands, indicating that Echo should sit too. Echo sat down slowly, watching the man for any other sudden mood swings. What he had just said swarmed his mind, blocked out all other thought.  
General Skywalker?  
Dead?  
Impossible.  
"Tell, me, Echo. What do you remember from your past life?" the strange Jedi asked. Echo shrugged, still pretty shaken up after what he had just been told,  
"I... I remember the 501st... vaguely. I remember General Skywalker... Captain Rex... A couple of my closest companions..." he shook his head, "Is it true.... General Skywalker is dead...?" he rasped, searching the man for anything that could show he was lying. He got nothing but the lifeless eye sockets of his mask staring right back into him,  
"A lot has happened since you went missing." he said. He placed a hand on his chest lightly and dipped his head, "As you probably already know, I am Lord Darth Vader." he said. Echo blinked and leaned in closer,  
"So you are a Jedi." he said innocently. Lord Vader laughed, a deep resonating laugh,  
"You are so naive, my friend." he chuckled. He grew quiet again, "Let me explain what has happened since you were gone. I know, we just met and I don't believe you will trust everything that I have to say. I must apologize for earlier though, when I was searching your thoughts. I'm sorry for the aggressive form of extraction I took upon you; it was uncalled for. I just have to be careful nowadays as I have many enemies. Anyway, to move things along, after a few years after you disappeared, the war was coming to an end. General Anakin had killed Count Dooku in a hand to hand combat after the count had kidnapped chancellor Palpatine. General Kenobi had also successfully killed General Gervious after a quick battle on Utahpau. Shortly after the death of General Grevious, Jedi Master's Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin approached the supreme chancellor, Sheev Palpatine..." as Lord Vader talked, faces and names seemed to match, giving Echo another throbbing headache. He winced but nodded to what he was saying, struggling to pay attention to what the man was telling him. The man either didn't notice his tight expression or just ignored it as he continued, "However, this was no ordinary talk. Mace Windu and his party attacked Palpatine without any warning. Mace Windu explained to Palpatine that the Jedi had come to seize control of the entire senate and take over the galaxy! Palpatine was successful in defending himself but Mace Windu soon had him cornered, with no way out. Luckily, General Skywalker came in and struck down Mace Windu, thus saving the chancellor. Now the Jedi were deemed dangerous and Palpatine had the clones wipe them out, with Anakin as the head general. He was trusted as he had turned against the Jedi and saved Palpatine. They able to take out all the Jedi except for two; Master Yoda and Anakin's old master, General Kenobi. Palpatine and his guards were attacked by Yoda in a form of a last attempt to overthrow the chancellor but Yoda failed and has thus vanished. General Kenobi and General Anakin, however, met on a molten planet in the Mustafar system where they battled to the end. Anakin had the upper hand but eventually, he fell at the hands of his old master and died on the planet." Vader paused and clenched his hands together tightly, "He was killed by General Kenobi. Left to die on that sorry excuse of rock." he said bitterly. He fell silent, staring at the ground as he was wrapped up in his woes. Echo blinked and slumped up against the back of the couch in shock, grief, and disbelief. He could see them; General Anakin and General Kenobi, talking, laughing together. He couldn't see them suddenly turn against each other. On top of that, General Kenobi in on a plan to take over the galaxy? It all seemed like some nightmare that this man had concocted.  
And yet....  
Echo straightened up,  
"How do you know all this?" he asked soflty. Vader laughed; a husky, low, and empty laugh,  
"I was training under Palpatine as a disciple of his. When he was attacked by Mace Windu, he was severely scarred from it. For me, I was attacked by Kenobi, who was on his way out to kill Anakin." he tapped the side of his helmet, "He got me good. And now, I can't go anywhere without this suit." he looked Echo in the eye from behind his mask, "I SAW all of this happen. Right before my eyes. I am living proof of what happened ten years ago." he hissed, standing up suddenly. Echo shrank back slightly,  
"My apologies. I didn't realize this tragedy affected you too." he said hoarsely. Vader's mechanical breathing slowed down and he sat back down again,  
"I hope some of this was enlightening to you. Ten years is a pretty long time to be gone." he said, clapping a hand on Echo's shoulder. Echo smiled warmly, despite the dull throb of his head and the cold knot in his chest, putting his had on top of Vader's,  
"It was very much appreciated." he said, trying to keep his voice level. It was actually a lot to take in; welcome back to the land of the living, most of your friends are probably dead. Lord Vader seemed to sense his depression,  
"Perhaps getting you back into the military may cheer you up a bit." he said cheerfully, or what sounded cheerful. Echo shrugged, the knot in his chest getting tighter,  
"Maybe... But I'm not a stormtrooper or whatever they're called. And beside's, how can things be 'normal' when I've got this?" he scoffed, holding up his metal arm to Vader. Vader seemed slightly taken aback,  
"Stars above. How did you get this...?" he said in a whispery kind of tone. He gently looked over Echo's arm in quiet fascination, inspecting every rivet and gear. Echo cleared his throat, slightly uncomfortable,  
"Well.... I remember getting blown up on Geonosis and when I woke up, it was ten years later and I had this." he said, slightly flicking his metal digits. Vader didn't take his eyes off his arm, or at least it looked like it since he couldn't tell with the mask,  
"Geonosis...? I remember.... never mind. When did you wake up?" he asked, turning over Echo's arm so he could look at the other side. Echo opened his mouth, then closed it, thinking back to the past few days.  
"It would depend... I was was awake on Geonosis for a good three or four weeks being held a prisoner. I have no idea how long I was down there so it could be more or less. Then I finally escaped and flew here, which might of taken a day. Then I spent a day here so far so...." he mentally counted the days, "Roughly around twenty eight or twenty nine days." he concluded. Vader stopped looking at his arm and let it go, sitting up a little straighter,  
"That short of a time, huh? Well. I can get you back into the military unless you want to take some more time off. It has been ten years and things have changed a lot since you left." he said with a slightly dark undertone. Echo blinked; the tone Vader was using seemed to give him the vibes that he had no choice but to rejoin the military. Even if he took some 'time off', he would still end up in the ranks. He shook off the feeling, thinking it was his overactive mind,  
"If it's quiet all right with you, I would like to get back into the military immediately. Ten years out of the job is a long time." he chuckled. Vader seemed to study him for a moment, then nodded once, getting to his feet once more,  
"Well, I'm glad that your getting back into things." he said, the dark tone from earlier gone. He extended his hand to help Echo up, "Follow me and I'll take you to the barracks." he said warmly. Echo grinned slightly and took his hand,  
"Thanks." he said.

  


Echo followed Vader to a more industrial part of the city, not too far from the building they were just in. As they got closer, things started to look familiar and Echo found himself delving in the past once more. Wherever he looked, he could almost see the shapes of clones and Jedi he knew yet, like everything else, couldn't remember their names or faces. Of course, all this thinking back on the past gave him a good sized headache. He softly groaned and held his head with one hand, hoping to stem the pounding ache. Vader seemed to notice as they stepped into an elevator,  
"You seem to be in constant pain. What's wrong?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned. He punched on a level and they started to descend, Vader looking him up and down. Echo looked up, managing a weak, unconvincing smile,  
"It's nothing. I-" he stopped short as his head suddenly felt like it had exploded. He sank down against the side if the elevator, screaming, his hand seeking something to catch him. Vader caught him, quick as a snake,  
"Echo! Echo, talk to me!" he cried, cradling the clone as he thrashed around violently. Echo barley heard him, let alone see him. Images flew past his eyes, his blood roaring in his ears, blocking out all other sound except his heavy, labored breathing.  
The battlefield.  
Picking up a shield.  
Pain.  
Falling.  
Anakin.  
Rex.  
Fives.  
Hevy.  
Obi Wan.  
Cody.  
Jesse.  
Kix.  
Names.  
Names.  
Names!  
Names!  
Names!!!  
"ECHO!"

  


The ringing was getting annoying. Echo slowly opened his eyes, then quickly closed them with a grimace. There was a light above him which was a little too bright for liking: it made his eyes hurt. The way the light was positioned reminded him too much about his cell back on Geonosis and he sat up quickly. He wasn't on Geonosis, thank Kamino, but he still didn't know where he was. He was definitely in some sort medical bay; it was spotless and tidy, which mildly weirded him out. He was dressed in a simple medical bay robe, his uniform sitting on a table a few feet away from him, along with his bag. He glanced around cautiously, remembering how his last encounter with medical equipment had gone. Then again, he wasn't chained to the table and he could see the entire room instead of the other dark and musty one he was used to. Relaxing a little, as he sensed no immediate danger, he closed his eyes again, the ringing in his ears fading away.  
"Glad to see you're awake. You gave me quiet a scare back there." someone said suddenly. Echo opened his eyes and looked to his left. Lord Vader sat still as a stone, his hands folded in front of him, sitting in a chair by a window. He had his head bowed and he was hunched over his hands, sitting at the edge of his seat. Outside, Echo could see he was still in the main city of Coruscant. Echo smiled lopsidedly,  
"Sorry. It was just a bad headache." he said softly. Vader didn't look up or even move,  
"Seems like it was a little more than a bad headache." he muttered. Echo's smile slightly waviered and hd shifted in his bed uncomfortably,  
"Lord Vader, it's nothing. Really." he said, hoping he sounded convincing. Vader seemed to think otherwise. He rose from his chair and walked over to Echo's bed, standing over him ominously. He placed a gloved hand on Echo's head,  
"You're a terrible liar." he growled. Echo opened his mouth to speak, then stopped as a sudden numbness spread throughout his entire body. He couldn't speak, couldn't move and then there was that feeling again. That poking, prodding feeling that he had experience earlier when he first encountered Lord Vader. He opened and closed his mouth like a goober fish out of water, trying to speak, trying to cry out.  
"Echo, relax. Just calm down." Lord Vader's deep voice filled his ears, blocking out all other sound except a powerful humming that seemed to come from the tall man before him. Relaxing was the last thing on Echo's mind. He hated this feeling of helplessness, this feeling of letting someone look through everything one knows or holds dear. Yet he couldn't do anything and he laid there like a corpse, his eyes locked onto Vader's mask. Vader showed no sign and kept his hand on Echo's head, searching through his mind. Then, Vader straightened up and took his hand off Echo, walking back to his chair. He sat down and and calmly crossed his legs, settling into the chair. Echo felt the numbness fade from his body and he shifted slightly, starting to move again. He looked across at Vader, pissed off,  
"So it was you who was looking through my thoughts back when I first met you." he said in a low voice, "What if I have some things that I do not wish for you to see."  
Vader glanced out the window, clearly unfazed by the angry clone before him,  
"You really are a mess." he said, watching a couple speeder's fly past the window, "You barley remember your past, your friends, who you were..." he dragged a hand across his mask, suddenlylooking weary. Echo sat up straighter,  
"You still haven't justified justified yourself." he snapped. Vader slightly turned his head away from the window, the dark pits of the masks eye sockets seemingly pinning Echo to where he sat,  
"There is no possible way for you to defect....." he said under his breath. Echo swing his legs over the side of the bed,  
"Stop avoiding my questions! Just give me a straight answer!" he cried, frustrated. Vader's frame tightened at Echo's demand, obviously retraining his anger,   
"It is not your place to be asking me those questions." he growled. Echo continued to glare, sick and tired of all the things Vader was holding back from him,   
"Just give me a straight answer then! Then I'll shut up!" he said sharply. Vader shook his head, the stiffness of his body showing he was just as irritated as Echo. He returned his gaze out the window,   
"I cannot give you what you ask for." he said dully, as if he was bored of this conversation. Echo huffed and opened his mouth to speak when suddenly Vader waved his hand in his direction. A wave of exhaustion seemed to hit Echo and he stumbled back into the bed behind him. The last thing he saw before everything went dark was Vader standing over him and saying something.   
  
"By the time you wake up, you won't remember the questions you asked of me." 


	5. Chapter 5

Echo moved awake groggily, trying to recall what happened. Oh yeah, passed out in front of Lord Vader, real classy Echo. He sat up and hit his head on a metal surface, causing him to sink back down into the bed. He really needed to stop hitting his head on everything; it already hurt enough on its own. He grimaced, still holding his head, and opened his eyes, wondering why the infirmary had placed something over him.  
Then he realized; he wasn't in the infirmary.  
In a flash, he was out of the bed, being careful as to not hitting his head again. He quickly took a synopsis of his new surroundings, concluding he wasn't in a hostile environment. He appeared to be in a bunk house of sorts, yet he was the only one there. It was a dull, dark grey room with dinner white lights along the top of the room walls. There were at least six bunk beds packed neatly into the room, not enough to be crowded but just enough to give the room a cozy feel to it. Echo blinked, wondering where he was now. He wasn't in the medical bay garment anymore but instead the black undershirt and pants that went with his armor. He looked around out of his peripherals, slightly weirded out by the fact someone kept changing his clothes in his sleep. Once again, finding no one in the room but himself, he began to explore. This room was so warm and welcoming, despite it's cold appearance, and Echo felt like he had been in the room before. He looked back at the bed he had woken up in and sat back down in it, looking across the room. He could see them again; the whispy, transparent forms of people from his past. Only this time, he knew who they were. He watched as Fives hopped out of one of the top bunks and moved out if the room, calling to the other non-present clones in there. Echo quietly chuckled, thinking about one time when Jesse got out of the bunk so fast he completely fell off the bunk. Or another time when Fives, Jesse, and him had a massive pillow fight and made a mess. Kix came in and was super pissed that they had messed up his bed.  
Precious memories.  
Ones that he was able to keep.  
Sort of.  
It still hurt to think about them.  
Echo winced and shook his head, the headache becoming unbearable. The ghost like frames of his brothers vanished from the room, leaving him alone. He sat in the bunk for a couple moment's, waiting for the pounding to subside.  
Kriff, they were getting annoying.  
Maybe there was a medic somewhere around this place with some idea to get rid of the migraines. He got up from the bunk and opened the door, stepping outside into unfamiliar territory. The building he was in, the barracks, had dull, grey walls with very dim lighting and an almost stifling atmosphere. There seemed to be nobody else in the area he was in but he heard some quiet chatter coming from a little ways down the hall. Curious and hoping to find some familiar faces, he followed the voices and rounded a corner. He guessed he was in the cafeteria; there were stomtroopers and food everywhere, much to his amusement. The mess hall grew quiet and all eyes shifted to the doorway. Echo looked behind him, glancing at what they were all staring at. There was nothing behind him and he felt his face grow hot with embarrassment. Of course they were all looking at him; he had outdated armor, his face looked nothing like the others, and he looked like a lost child searching for some form of comfort. Quickly, he turned to face his audience,  
"Hello." he said stiffly, then walked in, ignoring some of the looks he received. Soon, the chatter rose up again and Echo's entrance fiasco was seemingly forgotten by the stormtroopers. Unsure what to do, Echo grabbed a tray and some food, heading to a secluded table off to the side. He slowly picked at his food, wondering why he grabbed some even though he wasn't hungry.  
'How haven't had a proper meal since who knows how long.' he scolded himself. With a sigh, he began to eat, slowly at first but it quickly escalated and he found himself shoveling food into his mouth.  
'Wow, guess I WAS hungry.' he thought sourly as he finished off his plate. He looked up and noticed a couple stormtroopers looking at him in slight awe and disgust at how fast he finished. He slightly snickered; judging by their armor, they were a couple of shiney's. They'd have to get used to far more gruesome things other than Echo eating his lunch at record speed. They noticed he was watching them and they quickly ducked out of sight and into the normal crowd, leaving him behind. Echo scoffed and ran his metal hand through his hair, wondering what to do next.  
"Echo....?"  
Echo's head snapped up at the sound of his name and he wondered who called him out. A very young stormtrooper shiney stood in front of him, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open in what seemed to be confusion and amazement. He looked so young that Echo wondered why he was even here; he probably had to be about fourteen in a regular persons lifespan. He had the same mouse brown eyes of a clone trooper along with the militant buzz cut that most clones had, back in Echo's days. Heck, he looked more like a clone rather than the new stormtroopers. The shiney looked completely unfamiliar..... And yet.....  
There.  
A tattoo on the left side of the kids head.  
No. It couldn't be.  
Kix was dead.  
Along with everyone else.  
Echo pushed aside the idea and focused on the trooper in front of him, "What's up? How can I help you, rookie?" he said with slight charm. The kid blinked and rapidly shook his head,  
"O-oh! I'm sorry! I didn't realize... I mean! Well, you..." he rambled. Echo raised an eyebrow at the new kids activities, watching him warily,  
"Hey, you ok?" he asked cautiously. The clone trooper/stormtrooper (or whatever he was), jolted up, startled,  
"S-sorry! I'm just kind of mixed up right now. Your name is Echo, right?" he asked, looking Echo up and down with large innocent eyes. Echo blinked then laughed at the shiney's expression,  
"Yes, I am Echo. Now sit down before you fall down. You look like you've seen a ghost." he said, suppressing another laugh. The boy nodded rapidly and sat down shakily, never once taking his eyes if Echo.  
"I think I have seen a ghost, though, sir." he said shakily. Echo shrugged, folding his hands on the table,  
"Ok." he shrugged. The boy shook his head,  
"Are you sure your name is Echo? Serial number CT-21-0408?" he asked again. Echo stiffened; this kid knew his number. Echo leaned back, studying the shiney before him; he seemed ordinary, like a regular clone.  
"Yes. I'm pretty sure I know who I am." he growled, starting to wonder if this was an interrogation. The kid rubbed his head, shaking it,  
"That's impossible! You died on the Citadel!" he said, his voice cracking.  
The Citadel.  
Gunfight.  
Picking up a shield.  
Fives!  
Echo grimaced and clutched his head, the new memories hurting so much that he felt like his mind was being torn apart from the inside out. He shook his head once, trying to shake it off before the boy noticed his pain. He'd have to think about the Citadel later, or whatever it was called. Echo blinked and looked up, noticing the shiney was crying,  
"Uh..... Hey, kid.... What's up...?" he asked awkwardly. The boy buried his face in his hands, shaking his head rapidly,  
"Calm down.... Calm d...." the kids voice dwindled to a quiet whimper. Echo sighed and clapped a hand on his shoulder in a form of reassurance,  
"Look. You know my name. Why don't you tell me yours?" he said kindly. The boy sniffed loudly and hurriedly wiped his face,  
"S-sorry! It's just.... N-nevermind...." he muttered. He straightened up again and looked at Echo,  
"Truth is, I don't really have a name, sir." he said with a slight shrug. Echo raised an eyebrow,  
"So your vod doesn't give each other nicknames? You just go by your serial number?" he asked. The kid shook his head quickly,  
"No... Well, yes I guess. The higher ranking officers have names. Normal soldiers like you and me usually just go by our numbers. But that's not the point!" he added quickly. He took a deep breath, "Unlike the other stormtroopers, I'm not one of them. I'm a clone. Well, sort of. L-let me explain!" he waved his hands in embarrassment at the look of confusion on Echo's face. Echo rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair,  
"You better not be pulling my leg, rookie." he scoffed, wondering if this kid was pulling a fast one on him. The shiney winced,  
"I-I'm not, sir." he said softly. He held the side of his face, suddenly looking tired, "I'm not normal. I have a name but I don't know if it's my own. I have memories but they're not my own either." he locked eyes with Echo, "I don't know who you even are and yet I know your name. And you may not believe me sir but just hear me out." he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "A good friend of yours died on the battlefield. After Order 66 he was.... He was shot..... By one of their own. It was an accident but the Empire had still lost a very valuable clone. They needed him back, so they took his genetic code and his consciousness and quickly made another clone in his exact appearance with his mindset and memories. However, they did not plan on the new clone to develop a second conscious, thus the clone had two sets of memories and mild schizophrenia. They needed the clone back on the battlefield and once he was semi-mature, they threw him right back into the warzone." the kid paused and held his hands together tightly, trying to keep them from shaking. Echo slightly cocked his head and placed a hand over the boy's,  
"Take it easy." he said softly, concerned over his sudden frightened and stressed nature. The shiney nodded and took a shaky breath,  
"The clone still hasn't seen any real battle yet but he knows that it's close. He'll have to face it soon. He's terrified that he won't last, even if he has those past memories and experiences to help him." the kid stopped, his breath hitching in his throat. Echo mentally groaned, hoping this child wouldn't start crying again. The kid wiped his eyes with a heavy hand,  
"Sorry. Sorry..... If you haven't already figured it out, that clone is me...." he said hoarsely. Echo nodded, having figured that out earlier.  
'And you're telling me all this because....?' he thought dully. He smiled,  
"You still haven't told me your number." he said. The kid looked at him with a haunted look in his eyes,  
"I was just about to tell you that, Echo." he said, his voice taking a deeper tone. Echo was slightly taken aback; one minute this boy had the personality of a frightened womprat and now suddenly he was serious and talking to him as if he had known him since his birth. The boy continued, leaning in close,  
"You're probably wondering which clone I was copied from. I'm suprised you haven't recognized this." he said darkly, tracing a finger across the tattoo on the side of his head. Echo froze, his heart dropping into his stomach.  
Kix was dead.  
Kix was dead.  
This isn't him.  
This is a sad excuse of a copy.  
And yet....  
The kid leaned even closer towards Echo, his eyes burning with an old yet familiar passion and love for him.  
"I am CT-6116. Back when you and I were still alive, I was called Kix. Remember me now, CT-21-0408?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends! I have a little proposition for this who are interested! I am looking for an editor for this story cause my editing sucks and you may see some things that need to be fixed. If interested, just leave a comment below.  
> Keep reading and dreaming!  
> -Stormstar017


	6. Chapter 6

Echo stared in shock, trying to process what the kid had just told him. No, scratch that: what KIX told him. Or was it Kix? Kriff, he didn't know anymore at this point. He shook his head and scoffed,   
"You sure know how to pull off a cruel joke." he said scathingly, glaring at Kix or whoever sat in front of him. Kix leaned back in his seat, his expression collective and calm,   
"It's not a joke, Echo." he said, his voice still taking on the dark tone, "It really is me. Or, well, sort of." he glanced down at his hands with a sigh. Echo shook his head, laughing mockingly,   
"Yeah, you're just stuck in the body of a little boy." he said, waving a hand at Kix's very young looking appearance. Kix glared across at him, his hands folded neatly in front of him; it was kind of weird seeing this young clone in front of him sitting and looking like a veteran. He sighed and bowed his head,   
"So much has happened since you...." he swallowed, "Since you supposedly died...." he said quietly, his voice barley a whisper. Echo kicked back in his chair and put his feet up on the table,   
"I'm not dead anymore." he said dully. Kix looked back up, his eyes burning with a fire of frustration and betrayal,   
"Not dead anymore? That's a good one. We're both now stuck in this hell hole. We both should of just stayed dead. Dead with our brothers who's bones now lie buried in this planet. But, you now what? Sometimes people have no respect for the fallen and tamper with the laws of science and life and then you get things like you and me; a clone who's not even sure who he is anymore." he growled, slamming his fist into the table, "We're just as dead as the rest of the 501st the longer we remain here."  
Echo folded his arms, watching Kix intently. One minute, he was a skiddish little bot and now he was one of his closest friends. He was still getting used to it. He chuckled and shook his head,   
"So, let me guess; I can only talk to you for a limited amount of time and then you switch right back into the boy?" he asked. Kix curtly nodded once, his eyes still holding their angry and pissed off gleam,   
"Its a result of bringing back from the dead. You'll get him more than me, since his conscious is supposed to be alive and mine isn't. It's become stronger than mine and I'm hoping eventually mine will die out and I can go back to eternal rest instead of wrestling for control from this brat." he said. Echo sighed and ran his metal hand through his hair,   
"Sounds fun. Can't wait to get to know him better." he muttered. Kix leaned in close,   
"Be gentle with him. I know, he's a bit of a wuss and can't do much on his own because he's usually scared put of his wits. But, just try. If this is going to be me, then I want him to be one of the best clones that ever came out of Kamino, even if he's just a duplicate." he said, gently taking Echo's hands. Echo smiled softly and chuckled,   
"You're talking to me as if it were your dying wish." he said softly. Kix gave his hands a gentle squeeze, causing him to look up and lock eyes with the familiar yet strange gaze in front of him  
"Because it is...."


End file.
